The invention is generally related to devices for immobilizing an individual's knee and specifically, to those devices which can be easily slipped on and off the individual.
Permanent casts, made of plaster, polyethylene and various types of braces and splints, are well known for immobilizing an individual's knee that has suffered an injury, such as a fracture, sprain, ligament damage, or the like. Such permanent casts are not designed to be removed and reused. Braces, such as those made of elastomeric fabric, while readily removable, do not provide optimum immobilization.
Recently, efforts have been made to produce a device which can be easily slipped on and off the individual and yet provide proper immobilization. One such device consists of a first curved piece of polyethylene which, when in position, is large enough to cover the back and sides of an individual's thigh, knee, and calf. A second, smaller curved piece of polyethylene is large enough to span the open side of the first piece covering the front of the individual's leg. Each of the polyethylene portions is laminated to an inner foam liner. The device is secured to the patient's leg by buckling laterally spaced straps which are anchored to opposing sides of the first piece and extend across the second piece.
While this device solves some of the problems of past devices, it has several disadvantages. Some of these disadvantages are that the device does not adequately prevent rotation of an individual's leg therein, that the dual pieces do not provide sufficient strength and rigidity for proper immobilization, and the knee is not held at a sufficient angle to provide for optimum relaxation of the knee ligaments upon immobilization. Moreover, the padding of the device prevents it from controlling rotation of the individual's knee and from being easily modified for a custom fit.